Setting up and operating an online store may sound expensive, but don’t let that scare you away. There are plenty of platforms that will cost you a good amount of money to use, but you don’t have to go that route.

Many people pay for convenience, but you don’t have to. Instead, go with a free eCommerce platform.

Don’t go with just any old free platform, though. Here’s how to choose the right one for you.

What is an ECommerce Platform?

ECommerce platforms are software tools that allow you to create a digital storefront. With these platforms you can show off your stock and people can buy it online.

Without these tools, you’d have to set up your own website and find a bunch of different plugins to turn your site into a store. A great eCommerce platform contains everything you need to successfully and easily sell your stock online.

Wouldn’t It Be better to Pay?

You may think it’s better to go with a platform that costs you money. True, these platforms may come with features that free ones don’t offer. But there are free options that have everything you need.

Running a business takes money. So why not free up some of the required cash by choosing a free eCommerce platform?

If there are features you really think you can’t live without, go ahead and use a paid platform. But trust us, you can do it all with a free one if you want to save some cash.

If you’re willing to spend some of your business’ money on the right platform, look for the one that offers everything you want for the lowest price. Some free websites such as Weebly offer affordable eCommerce integration. You can check out Weebly eCommerce reviews to see if it’s the right fit for your business.

Is Creating an ECommerce Website Hard?

You don’t have to be technologically savvy to set up a great eCommerce website, thanks to powerful tools like eCommerce platforms. That’s why they’re there — to help you have a great digital store-building experience.

A great platform will walk you through each step and make it easier than if you were trying to do it on your own. Using one should help you get your website up, or turn your existing site into an eCommerce site, in no time.

How to Choose a Great ECommerce Platform

When choosing an eCommerce platform, you’ll need to keep some things in mind. Most importantly, you need to know what your specific needs are.

Keep your business and what you sell in mind as you consider the following points.

Size of Stock

The right eCommerce platform for you can handle your stock size. If you only sell a few things here and there, your needs will be different than if you sell thousands of products each day.

If the platform you’re checking out won’t work for the size of stock you have or plan to have, look go with a different platform.

Your Stock Type

You’ll also need to consider what your stock is actually made of when choosing a platform. If you sell physical items, you’ll need a shopping cart with shipping abilities.

If you sell digital items, your needs will be different. Make sure you choose a platform that caters to your type of stock.

Usability

How easy is the platform to use? If it isn’t intuitive, you may want to stay clear. Since there are multiple platforms to choose from, you don’t have to settle for one you don’t like.

The nice thing is, if you’re looking at free platforms you can try a few without racking up any costs. So try some on for size. Choose a platform that is easy to navigate and use.

Go for something that’s streamlined and simple. A jumbled experience won’t encourage you to use your platform as you should.

Using your platform shouldn’t be work. It should be working for you, not the other way around.

Methods of Payment

How would you like to accept payment from customers? This is a huge thing to consider when choosing an eCommerce platform.

You’ve most likely used a handful of ways to purchase an item. Customers appreciate this type of flexibility. Look for a platform that gives your customers choices, so they can use the method they’re most comfortable with.

Don’t focus on your customers alone, though. The payment methods included in the platform need to work for you too. If you don’t have a PayPal account, don’t choose a platform the only uses that option, unless you want to make an account.

Whatever you choose, make sure you offer more than one payment method. If given a single method of payment that they don’t like, customers likely won’t stick around or come back.

Marketing-Friendly Features

There’s not really a point of having an online store if you can’t get the word out about it. While you could just share a link now and then, it’s better to integrate marketing strategies right into your website.

This means you need the capability to utilize SEO and other online marketing tools. The best way to add SEO to your site is to have a blog.

What if a blog doesn’t seem to fit with what you do? Think again. You can blog about pretty much anything. Blogging on topics that relate to what you sell will bring more people to your website.

Let’s say, for example, you’re selling kitchen knives. You couldn’t possibly blog about that over and over, could you? Well, you could, but you should choose various topics that are related to the knives you sell instead of just the knives themselves.

Here are some possible blog posts you could include on your site:

Are Copper or Stainless Steel Knives Better for Cooking?

How to Sharpen a Stainless Steel Knife

How to Keep your Kitchen Knives Sharp for Longer

Things You Should Never Do with Kitchen Knives

The list could go on and on. The point is, having blog posts allows you to integrate keywords that will help generate traffic to your site. You can, in turn, link to the knives you sell, which may result in more purchases.

Space for Reviews

Have you ever searched through reviews before purchasing a product? Lots of people do, so it’s likely you have too.

Reviews allow people to see what the actual user experience is like for a product. Product descriptions are great, but everyone knows a company is going to flaunt the positive aspects of their product.

Make sure your eCommerce platform of choice allows people to leave reviews on your products. As positive reviews come in, more customers will be willing to purchase your products, since they’ll know others have had a great experience with them.

Support for You and Your Customer

What happens when your site goes down? Both you and your customers suffer. You won’t keep bringing in money if people can’t see your products. And customers won’t find what they want on your site if the site isn’t there.

For this reason, you should look for a platform that offers great support. You deserve to have the help you need when something goes wrong with your site. If you choose a platform that doesn’t offer this help, you’ll be on your own.

If you aren’t technologically savvy, this could be a major problem. If there’s no one to get your site back up and running and you don’t know what to do, you may have to start again from scratch. Doing so could cost you lots of time and money if you feel the need to switch to a paying platform.

Choose the Right Free ECommerce Platform for Your Business

Selling online is a must in this day and age. If you’re only selling in a brick-and-mortar store, you’re definitely missing out.

Whether it’s price or convenience that convinces people to shop online, they do it. And they’ll keep doing it, so jump on the bandwagon.

Luckily, you can get started selling online in a snap with a free eCommerce platform. So get out there, see what’s available, and try some of those platforms on for size.